iOS 7: How to view a timestamp for each message in Messages

iOS 7 is here, and it’s the most radical update that Apple’s mobile OS has ever seen. But while the overhauled interface and bold new look is getting all the attention, iOS 7 comes with a bucketload of new features and enhancements that make it easier to use and more secure.

The new features are easy to use, but Apple’s radical overhaul of the iOS interface has made some of them a little tricky to find. We’ll show you how to locate and get the most out of 10 handy new features in iOS 7 – some of which you might not have even known existed.

Look, hidden timestamps!

In iOS 6, the Messages app will show you when you started an exchange with someone, and it will remind you of the time you chatted periodically thereafter, but it won’t show you the timestamp for each individual message you send or receive. iOS 7 keeps track of timestamps for individual messages, and it will show you them – provided you know this simple trick.

Open the Messages app and navigate to a conversation thread. Once there, make a swiping gesture onscreen by swiping your finger from right to left. As you swipe, the timestamps for each message will appear. Lift your finger or slide it back to the right, and the timestamps will hide again.

Unfortunately, iOS 7 doesn’t let you always show timestamps for all messages, but at least the info is there if you need it.